'Under the form of printing, thought is more imperishable than ever; it is volatile, intangible, indestructible; it mingles with the very air. In the reign of architecture it became a mountain, and took forceful possession of an era, of a country. Now it is transformed into a flock of birds, scattering to the four winds and filling the whole air and space.' -Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Over time, the poster has gone from a vital and thriving means of public address in American cities to a communicative device that is largely used by commercial media conglomerates, if at all. The rise of the automobile has affected the poster’s viability in contemporary cities, especially one as car-centric as Los Angeles. Angelenos interact with the city primarily within their cars where windshield glass mediates and frames our view and where speed dissolves our periphery; where posters on walls are far from view.

THIS WILL DESTROY THAT! asked artists to create a work that discusses the culture of ‘posters’ in Los Angeles. The exhibition will explore the city’s paradoxical relationship not only with public space but also the poster’s place, meaning, and relevance within it.